For the Thursday-to-Sunday stretch of 17–20 September, Muziekgebouw aan ’t IJ supplies a compact answer to a familiar Amsterdam question: where can a listener hear adventurous music across a wide stylistic range? Its Thursday concert places Caroline Shaw alongside the Attacca Quartet in the Grote Zaal; Saturday returns to the same hall with Loraine James, Anysia Kym, 8ULENTINA, KROES and sign.nah. The useful thread is the room itself. Across two nights, the programme moves from a string quartet expanded by voice and second viola to a late, multi-artist electronic sequence, while keeping close attention on artists who work across forms.[1][2]

Thursday’s Attacca Quartet concert is built around Shaw’s presence as both composer and performer. The programme lists her Three Essays, Cant voi l’aube, And So, Other Song and The Evergreen, followed by Felix Mendelssohn’s String Quintet No. 2. Shaw joins Amy Schroeder, Aliayta Foon-Dancoes, Nathan Schram and Andrew Yee on vocals and viola, giving the Mendelssohn a five-player configuration after an opening section devoted to her own work. A pre-concert talk by Thea Derks begins at 19:15, ahead of the 20:15 main programme in the Grote Zaal.[1]

That sequence gives the evening a clear internal shape. Shaw’s catalogue and biography place her across composition, production, violin and voice, and her current touring work includes Attacca Quartet. At Muziekgebouw, those overlapping roles become practical stage business: song, instrumental writing and chamber interplay sit inside one programme. The Mendelssohn selection also adds a historical frame, while Shaw’s own music anchors the opening portion of the evening. For listeners arriving from outside the classical circuit, this is a strong entry point because the composer is present in the performance as well as on the page.[1][3]

Saturday’s late bill changes the scale

On Saturday 19 September, the focus shifts to Nothing Here Now X The Rest is Noise, beginning at 22:00 and continuing until 01:15. The night uses the Grote Zaal as a sequence of distinct sets: Amsterdam artist KROES opens, 8ULENTINA follows, then Loraine James presents Detached from the Rest of You at 23:10. Anysia Kym performs after midnight, and sign.nah closes in the entrance hall as DJ. A pre-concert talk by El Bickers is scheduled for 20:30. The practical result is a concert format with several entrances: come for James’s set, or make time for the full progression across the building.[2]

James is the clearest link between the two nights’ broad idea of composed sound meeting performance. Muziekgebouw describes her work through glitch aesthetics, improvisation and a jazz-rooted spirit, and identifies Detached From The Rest Of You as her 2026 Hyperdub record. Around her, the bill broadens the frame. KROES is the project of Amsterdam-based musician and technologist Lau Breukhoven; 8ULENTINA brings electronic composition, DJ work and interdisciplinary practice; Kym is billed as a producer, drummer and singer. This is a curated night organised as individual sets, with its own order and timetable.[2]

Make the route simple. Attend Attacca Quartet and Caroline Shaw at 20:15 on Thursday 17 September if a seated, programme-led evening is the aim; arrive for the Saturday event’s 22:00 opening if the late bill is the priority. Both events take place at Muziekgebouw aan ’t IJ, Piet Heinkade 1 in Amsterdam. Thursday tickets are listed from €12.50 to €39, while Saturday entry is listed from €10 to €12.50. Recheck the official Muziekgebouw pages for availability, admission details and any changeable schedule information before leaving.[1][2]

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Source list

1. Shaw and Mendelssohn — Attacca Quartet + Caroline Shaw, Muziekgebouw, https://www.muziekgebouw.nl/en/agenda/shaw-and-mendelssohn-ml1d[1]

2. Nothing Here Now X The Rest is Noise — Loraine James, Anysia Kym, 8ULENTINA, KROES + sign.nah, Muziekgebouw, https://www.muziekgebouw.nl/en/agenda/nothing-here-now-x-the-rest-is-noise-7dc5[2]

3. About, Caroline Shaw Editions, https://carolineshaw.com/pages/about","sourceIds":}]}],[1][2][3]

Sources

  1. Shaw and Mendelssohn — Attacca Quartet + Caroline Shaw — Muziekgebouw
  2. Nothing Here Now X The Rest is Noise — Loraine James, Anysia Kym, 8ULENTINA, KROES + sign.nah — Muziekgebouw
  3. About — Caroline Shaw Editions